The Auror and the Lab Tech
by DrarryLover4Ever
Summary: Harry is an auror and Draco is the auror department's brilliant lab tech. Harry is constantly getting injured on the job and Draco coincidentally makes new protection gear after each of his injuries. Harry can't see what's right in front of him and Draco is in denial. And Ron knows. Four parts: 2 present, 1 past, and 1 future. COMPLETE
1. Present: Part 1

**A/N: So this story planted itself in my head a month ago. I wrote the first two parts and was just going to leave it as is, but then I thought that I wanted to write what happened before and what happened after. So the first two parts will be the middle. The last two parts will be the beginning and the end. Hopefully it's not too confusing, but it makes sense to me.**

 **Summary: Harry is an auror and Draco is the auror department's brilliant lab tech. Harry is constantly getting injured on the job and Draco coincidentally makes new protection gear after each of his injuries. Harry can't see what's right in front of him and Draco is in denial. And Ron knows.**

 _One year later_

"Harry, did you seriously get injured on that raid today?" Ron asked his partner in disbelief.

Harry rubbed his arm, trying to get the pain to go away. "Not quite," he grimaced.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Were you wearing your protective equipment?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Harry had the grace to look sheepish and gave a slight shrug, wincing when the pain moved through his arm, down to the tips of his fingers and back up again. Yeah, he may have been injured. "In my defense, it sounded like they needed our assistance sooner rather than later," Harry replied.

"He's going to strangle you," Ron muttered.

Harry scoffed, but cringed inwardly. Yeah, he probably would. "Nah, I'm sure he'll be fine," he assured him.

Ron gave him a drawl look. "Seriously, every time you get a new injury, he goes about making something that you can use, we can all use, so that the injury is much less likely to happen again. He is not going to like the fact that you didn't wear the equipment _again_ ," Ron reminded him.

Harry frowned. "Well, maybe he won't find out…" he trailed off as a memo fluttered in and made a beeline for Harry. He recognized the color of the parchment immediately and he glanced over at Ron who was giving him an 'I told you so' look. Harry sighed. "How did he find out so quickly?" he demanded as he opened the note.

 _Come to the lab._

Harry huffed and tossed the parchment onto his desk and sat up, wincing once again as his arm moved as he leaned forward onto his desk. He picked up his quill, but dropped it immediately as the parchment started hitting him in the face. He growled as Ron laughed. He shoved away from his desk with his good arm and stalked out of the office.

He wanted to take his sweet time getting to the lab, but the paper wouldn't stop hitting him in the face. Harry yelled at the offending object and batted at it with his good arm, but it wouldn't let up until he arrived at the lab, lots of people looking at him in concern as he passed.

He shoved the door open and it slammed against the wall. The person leaning over the table jumped only slightly, but didn't turn to look at him. The paper balled itself up and dropped to the ground. Harry growled at it again.

"Did you get my memo?" the person asked nonchalantly as they turned around to look at him.

Harry narrowed his gaze at the person. "No, I did not get your stupid memo," he muttered sarcastically.

The man frowned and glanced down at the crumpled up ball of parchment. He walked over, picked it up, and opened it. He smirked as he handed it to Harry. "Here you are," he said, handing the paper to Harry, aiming for his injured arm. Harry cringed inwardly as he reached out with that hand. He almost got away with not showing that he was in pain, but he winced and the person narrowed his gaze at him. "Potter, I swear…." he trailed off and moved away from him.

"What? It seemed to be more important that I get there than put my gear on," Harry replied petulantly.

"Why do I even waste my time developing the equipment to keep you…all of you aurors safe if you don't wear them?" he demanded.

Harry sighed and stepped up next to the table where the person was leaning again. He had heard his slip of tongue, but chose to ignore it. He didn't want Ron to be right about this. "Malfoy, listen, your equipment is much appreciated; I just forgot to put it on today, okay?" Harry offered, trying to soothe his annoyance with him.

Draco sighed. "Fine. Let me take a look," he offered, shrugging off Harry's sort of apology. Harry frowned, but turned so that Draco could look at his injured arm. Draco wouldn't meet his eyes, but he glanced up and gave Harry an expectant look. Harry frowned again, not understanding. "Merlin, Potter, did your brain get damaged today too? Take off your robes. I can't look at your arm if it's covered by several layers of clothes," he pointed out, annoyed again.

Harry blushed slightly and then attempted to get out of his robes, but his arm was not cooperating. He growled in frustration. Draco looked worried which caused Harry to get more frustrated. Draco took pity on him and batted Harry's hand away. Harry sighed and hung his head in resignation.

Draco carefully removed the robes from Harry's body and was thankful to see that he was wearing a t-shirt underneath instead of something he'd have to take off. It would end up being super awkward otherwise. Draco pushed Harry's shirt sleeve up and examined his arm. A deep purple bruise was already forming on his upper arm. Draco cringed at the sight of it. He followed the bruise up and saw that it went all the way up to his shoulder and onto his upper back. He sighed and stepped back, finally looking at Harry in the eyes, glare intense. He crossed his arms.

"You know, I feel like I've made something that would have protected your arm and shoulder from that injury right there. Am I mistaken?" he pondered snidely.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I already told you that I forgot to put the gear on. Geez, Malfoy, why do you care so much about what happens to me anyway? I swear, every time I get injured, you lecture me or create some new thing for me to use or wear to keep me safe. Why do you care so much?" he demanded.

Draco lifted his eyebrows and looked away, a blush creeping over his skin. Harry watched it spread in confusion. "It's my job to make sure that you and all the other aurors are protected. That's why I care so much. It's job security," he replied rudely. He turned and walked into his private office, effectively ending their conversation.

Harry growled in annoyance and stormed out of the lab. He stomped all the way back to his office and stormed in, throwing himself into his seat, wincing as pain shot through his arm once again. "Remind me again why Draco Malfoy works for the auror department?" Harry demanded angrily.

Ron sighed. He had his answer memorized by now as this happened practically every time Harry came back from visiting the lab. "Because he's the best in the business and we need him," Ron replied. The first few times he had said that he nearly choked on associating needing and Draco in the same sentence, but his inventions were brilliant and protected the aurors, if they used what he made like they were supposed to, better than they had ever been protected.

Harry snorted. He sighed and winced again. "I'm going to St. Mungo's to get this checked out. I'll see you tomorrow," Harry said as he stood up and left their office. Ron sighed.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Ron looked up and saw Draco peeking in, looking straight at Harry's desk to see if he was there. He sighed audibly and looked somewhat relieved, but also disappointed.

"He went to St. Mungo's," Ron supplied as he sat back in his seat.

Draco nodded and walked in, holding Harry's auror robes. Ron lifted one eyebrow in question. Draco blushed in response. "He left this in my lab," he said as he tossed them over onto Harry's desk. He frowned as parchment blew off his desk. He frowned at it, debating if he should clean it up or not. He sighed and bent down, picking up the parchments. He picked up Harry's robe and folded it nicely and set it on the middle of his desk. He turned around and looked at Ron who was watching him with a smirk firmly in place.

"Don't start, Weasley," Draco warned.

Ron laughed. "I didn't say a word," he replied as he looked back down at his parchment, attempting to write down the report for the day. Draco sighed, interrupting his concentration. Ron looked up expectantly. Draco was worrying his lip.

"What happened this time?" he asked.

Ron put his quill down. "We were at lunch when we were called to head over to a raid. We didn't even come back to the office and get our stuff so Harry didn't have his gear on. He was trying to get a door open, but it wouldn't respond to magic so he slammed into it with the arm he got injured and it was like the door punched him or something because the next thing I know, he's flying backwards and clutching at his arm and shoulder. I know that if he had been wearing the padding you created for him-" Ron paused as Draco looked at him sharply. Ron smirked and continued. "Sorry, I mean for _us_ , that he would have been just fine. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but Harry is more of an act first, ask questions and worry about consequences later kind of guy," Ron finished.

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, I know that very well. Thanks for letting me know," he replied as he started to leave.

Ron stood. "Wait!" he called out. Draco stopped and looked at him. "He's never going to know how you feel unless you tell him," he pointed out.

Draco's eyes widened and he spluttered, shaking his head and blushing deeply. "I don't know what you're talking about," he responded hastily. Ron put his hands up in a placating gesture, but didn't wipe the knowing look off his face. Draco growled in annoyance, sounding very much like Harry had earlier, and left the office.

 **XXXX**

Harry sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. He was there so often he wondered why they didn't have a personalized chair for him that was more comfortable than the regular plastic chairs. He smiled at his inward joke, but then frowned as Draco came to mind. Ron was always teasing him that Draco had a thing for him, but it just didn't make sense to him. Draco hated him, always had, always would. It was a miracle that they didn't hex each other every day that they had to work together which wasn't too often since he worked in the lab and was not out in the field with Harry.

Of course, Harry was starting to notice the things that Ron pointed out, but he just couldn't believe they were true so he ignored him. On the other hand, Draco was different since Hogwarts so maybe he wouldn't be so bad to get to know better. Harry's frown deepened as he contemplated that idea. He sighed loudly. Maybe he should just ask Draco how he felt about him. Of course, any time that he had made comments in that regard, Draco got defensive. Was that a sign that what he asked and what Ron insisted about Draco was true?

"Harry, again?" a familiar voice tsked.

Harry looked up sheepishly at his other best friend. Hermione was interning as a healer. It was her first year, but she was practically a healer since she studied like crazy and probably knew more than any other healer there. "Yes, I'm back again. I just miss seeing you every day so I get injured just so I can see you," Harry teased as he stood up and followed Hermione into a room.

"Ha, ha, very funny. What happened this time?" she asked as she went about preparing the bed and any tools she might need. The mediwitch or wizard usually had those out and they were today, but Hermione was Hermione so she always checked them over again just to be sure everything she might possibly need was there.

"A door wouldn't open with magic so I put a little muscle into it and it punched me, sending me right across the room," Harry explained.

Hermione looked at him and then looked down at his injured arm. She frowned deeply. "Let me guess, you weren't wearing your gear?" she asked giving Harry a knowing look.

Harry sighed loudly. "They needed us there now, not later," he pointed out.

Hermione rolled her eyes and worried her lip. "Harry, you've got great gear, just wear it. I know Malfoy works really hard to make gear that will keep you safe. Why do you constantly go against what he wants for you and what everyone else wants for you?" she questioned quietly.

"Malfoy makes the gear for all the aurors, not just me," Harry reminded her, teeth clenched. He said this to her every time.

She looked over at him and gave him a look. "Malfoy's priorities are as follows: make something that keeps Harry safe, and then maybe duplicate it for the other aurors," she replied.

Harry sighed and looked away. What was it with everyone? Why did they keep insisting that Draco made the stuff specifically for him? Harry grinned as another tactic came to mind to stop their constant pestering that Draco might have more feelings for him than just a fellow co-worker. "Fine, since I am the one who is constantly getting injured, maybe he does make them for me. Maybe I inspire him," Harry offered.

Hermione chuckled and shook her head. "Nice try, Potter. I'm not buying that at all. I know you don't want to believe it's possible, but it is. You should think about it," she responded.

Harry felt his stomach turn. Why was he so against thinking that Draco might like him? Was it because he held onto the belief that Draco hated him and always would? Was he afraid that if he did question Draco about it that he would find out that everyone was wrong, and he would be left feeling embarrassed? Did he even want to contemplate that Draco had different feelings for him? Was he attracted to him? He was more handsome than he used to be since his features softened. He was kinder to Harry and always seemed to throw himself into developing new gear every time Harry came back with a different injury. He did see worry in his eyes earlier when he looked over his injury.

Harry had discovered a few years back, after many failed attempts at dating women, that he might actually be interested in men. It had seemed appealing enough and he often found himself leaning that way, but no guy had ever really captured his attention and those that remotely did all seemed to be of a similar type; all muggles, as to not draw attention to his newfound feelings, and all blond. Granted, they were varying shades of blond and somewhat aristocratic, but that didn't mean he was attracted to Draco or that he wanted him. He simply preferred blonds. But what if Draco did like him? Would that change his perspective on things?

"Perhaps you're right," Harry muttered.

Hermione stopped her healing and looked at him in surprise. "Are you being serious right now?" she asked in disbelief.

"No…. yes…. I don't know," Harry stuttered.

Hermione smiled slightly and said no more. She continued her healing and talked about other things unrelated to Draco Malfoy. She was going to assist that afternoon on a surgery and she was looking forward to it very much. Harry laughed at her enthusiasm.

Once she was finished healing him, she handed him a case of pain potions. "Take twice a day. Be careful. I'm not signing off on you going back in the field until the end of the week. Understand me?" she explained in her best healer voice.

Harry frowned. Five whole days without being in the field? What was Harry supposed to do for that amount of time? He did have paperwork and he did have a certain blond he could talk to about certain things. He sighed. "Yes, Healer Weasley," he said in an obedient voice.

Hermione blushed and smiled slightly, but quickly placed her healer mask on. "That's Intern Weasley. I'm not a healer yet," she reminded him, but she couldn't help the smile that came back on her face. Harry grinned and hugged her tightly before he said good-bye and left to return to work.

 **XXXX**

Harry walked into the department and stopped by the head auror's office to drop off Hermione's orders that he not be allowed back in the field for five days. The secretary was used to seeing these notes for Harry and sent them quickly on their way without bothering to know if it was actually a healer's note or not. Harry laughed as he walked away. He did get injured a lot and he knew that he should probably be a bit more careful, but it was awfully hard for what his job entailed. He couldn't help if danger and getting hurt seemed to follow him around.

He arrived in his office and saw that Ron was not in there. He glanced over at his desk and saw his robe, neatly folded. He frowned as he stepped over to his desk and looked down at it. He brushed his fingers across the material. He knew Ron wouldn't do that. He would have thrown them across his desk or chair and not given it another thought, but Draco on the other hand would do something like this. Harry smiled slightly and then turned and left their office. He headed down to the lab again.

When he arrived, he entered with much less fanfare than before. Draco was at one of his work stations again and he looked really focused on whatever he was working on. Harry took that moment to study him. He couldn't see his face full on, but he could tell that he was concentrating. Harry examined his profile and followed the lines down his robe clad body. He could see hints here and there of how he looked underneath his robes and he wasn't about to lie and say he didn't find him attractive, but somehow he just wasn't there at believing that Draco had a thing for him despite all the evidence stating otherwise.

"I see that you're back. Are you healed up?" Draco commented, not looking away from his work. Harry was unsure if he always knew it was him or if he did this for everyone.

Harry walked in and went to the other side of the workstation. He got a better look from this angle and this time he felt more of a reaction. Some of Draco's hair was falling across his eyebrows, dangling in his eyes. Draco stuck out his bottom lip, blowing a puff of air up to get it out of his way, but it just went back down. He frowned slightly, but continued his concentration. Harry watched as Draco licked his lips and then bit his bottom lip as he appeared to be doing an intricate procedure. His eyebrows furrowed and Harry felt his stomach flutter. _Okay, no surprise, I like this blond too_.

Draco flicked his wrist once more and made a triumphant sound and looked up with a grin firmly in place. Harry's throat went dry. _Damn, Hermione and Ron._ Draco looked at Harry's expression and saw something that he never thought he would from Harry. His eyes were a much darker shade of green and he seemed unable to focus, but not in the sense that he was injured, but that he was looking at something that he really liked. Draco's heart stuttered to a stop at the look Harry was giving him.

"Potter, you alright there?" he asked, his voice lower than he anticipated. He felt his cheeks warm and he had to look away from Harry.

Harry shook his head, blinking several times. _Damn, damn, damn_. "Um," he cleared his throat. "Yes, yes I'm fine and mostly healed up. Hermione told me I can't go back in the field for five days so…." he trailed off looking away from Draco again.

Harry heard a quiet sigh from Draco that sounded like one of relief. That didn't help him feel any better. "Well, that's good then. It will give you time to contemplate the next way you'll injure yourself," Draco responded in annoyance.

Harry frowned. "You seem to think I do it on purpose," he snapped.

"Don't you?" Draco snapped back.

 _Gah, why am I finding this sniping back and forth arousing?_ "No, of course not. I don't set out each day to get injured, it just happens."

Draco sighed. "Why won't you wear the stuff I make for everyone?" he asked again.

Harry sighed. "I do wear it, just not all the time. Look, do you have any in here? Maybe I can give you a more specific reason why I don't wear it all the time if I put it on," he suggested trying to get away from arguing with him.

Draco looked surprised by his offer and quickly went into his office. He returned a few minutes later with some of the gear they wore. It was similar to Quidditch leathers, but they had other protections that kept them safe. Harry took the gear from Draco and was about to put it on, but stopped. "It's supposed to go on underneath the clothes, right?" he asked uncertainly.

Draco nodded slowly. Harry set the gear down on the workstation and pulled his shirt off. Draco's eyes widened as his eyes settled on Harry's scarred, yet toned chest and stomach. Draco tried to look away as to not get caught gawking, but when he looked up; piercing emerald eyes looked back, a smirk giving them a playful look. Draco felt his cheeks warming again.

"Yes, under your clothes," Draco croaked out. Harry chuckled quietly as he slipped the gear on. Draco wanted to whine at the loss of being able to view Harry's chest so openly, but he refrained.

The gear was like a long sleeved shirt as it covered his front and back to his hips and went down to his wrists. They wore gloves that protected their hands and had pants that protected their lower extremities. All aurors wore boots as well. They were theoretically protected from shoulder to toe.

Harry, however, only wore the shirt part of the gear. He stood there trying to figure out what was bothering him about the shirt. It was something that caused him not to like it. "Well, what do you think?" Draco asked.

"I feel like I'm ten pounds heavier with this on," Harry replied.

Draco frowned and stepped closer. He looked down at Harry, not much since he was only a couple of inches taller, and fingered the material on his arm. Draco thought that it would be the safest place to touch. Harry seemed to agree, although Draco was pretty sure he heard a quiet gasp from Harry at their closeness.

"It does feel heavier than it probably should. Maybe I need to experiment with different materials," Draco said, seemingly stating his thoughts aloud.

"Well, maybe if it was material like my invisibility cloak. That material is very lightweight, but it's not very breathable, especially if you have more than one person underneath," Harry suggested.

Draco lifted his eyebrow. "More than one person?"

Harry laughed. "Well, when I was younger, Hermione and Ron would go under the cloak with me and we'd move about the castle…" he trailed off as he saw Draco's eyes widened slightly and then narrow. Harry frowned as Draco looked away.

Draco cleared his throat. It shouldn't still bother him that Ron and Hermione were Harry's best friends and that Harry had turned down his friendship when they were eleven, and most days it didn't, but at this moment it bothered him, immensely. "Do you happen to have your cloak handy for me to feel the material?" he asked after a moment of refocusing his feelings.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out something shiny. He tapped it with his wand and at resized into his invisibility cloak. He hesitated for just a moment before he handed it to Draco. If Draco was surprised, he didn't show it.

Draco took the cloak and ran it through his fingers. It felt like silk, but he knew that it wasn't. It was smooth and lightweight. He wasn't quite sure that he could duplicate the material, but he might be able to get close enough. "Can I try it on?" he asked curiously.

Harry wanted to say no, but he decided against it. "Yeah, um, sure," Harry replied.

Draco nodded and slipped the cloak on, disappearing completely. Harry shifted nervously and worried his lip. He sincerely hoped that Draco wouldn't walk off with it. Of course, he had no need to worry as Draco started talking about it.

"I can see how it might seem not very breathable. Do you mind testing it out with me for a moment?" he asked.

Harry gulped. "Like, you want me to go under there…with you?" he asked.

Draco snorted. "Obviously," he replied, but he was blushing deeply and glad that Harry could not see him for the moment.

Harry took a deep breath and tried to draw on his Gryffindor courage that he somehow seemed to lack when it came to Draco. He stepped forward and slipped under the cloak with Draco. They were way too close as the cloak could definitely not hold two adult men, but it was for science so it must be done.

Draco looked up and his eyes met Harry's. They stared at each other for a moment, neither one speaking and seemingly not breathing. It was unbearably hot under there, or at least it felt that way. Draco's face flushed. "Yes, I suppose it is not very breathable under here," he whispered.

Harry nodded. "I told you," he replied just as quietly.

Their eyes met and locked again. Draco seemed to be searching Harry's face for some indication of something. Harry wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he suddenly felt like he either needed to kiss him or get out from under the cloak right away. He started to lean forward involuntarily it seemed. In response, Draco's eyes widened and he leaned back slightly. Harry frowned and backtracked completely out from under the cloak, bumping into the workstation.

"Um, so I should probably go maybe head home I think. Um, I'll remember my gear and um, good luck trying to figure out how to make the gear more lightweight. So, uh, see ya'," he muttered as he started for the door, nearly tripping over his own feet. Once on the other side of the door, he leaned against the door and took several deep breaths. He nearly tried to kiss Draco and Draco clearly didn't want it. Merlin, he felt so embarrassed and he was going to kill Hermione and Ron.

Draco slipped out from under Harry's cloak. His heart was pounding and his stomach was turning violently. _Potter just tried to kiss me and I leaned back? What the hell?_ Draco thought angrily. He had accepted a long time ago that he had a thing for Harry. He couldn't deny it to himself any longer, but that didn't mean he wanted to admit it to anyone else. _Why did I lean back?_ Draco tossed Harry's cloak on another workstation and scowled at it. He sighed and picked it up again, folding it nicely. He considered leaving it, but knew that it was a treasured heirloom to Harry so he sighed again, shrunk it down, and put it in his pocket. He'd give Harry some time to fume and then he'd go to his office and return the cloak. He only hoped that he didn't screw up by leaning back.


	2. Present: Part 2

**A/N: Here is the second part of the original story I wrote.**

Harry stormed into his office, slamming the door open. Ron was sitting at his desk and jumped up, startled. He reached for his wand in response. Once he saw that it was Harry, he relaxed somewhat, but then he noticed that Harry was definitely angry about something so he tensed back up again.

"What's the matter, mate?" Ron asked uncertainly.

Harry narrowed his gaze at Ron. "I just did something that I can only blame you and Hermione for making me do," he began, speaking in a low voice.

Ron cringed inwardly. "What's that?" he asked nervously.

Harry stepped closer and Ron smartly backed up a couple of steps. "I just tried to kiss Malfoy and do you want to know what he did?" he demanded angrily.

Ron felt his stomach turn. Based on the way Harry was acting right now, he must have not had a positive reaction. "I'm not sure," he whispered.

Harry narrowed his gaze further. "He leaned away. I listened to you and Hermione for once about him liking me and he moved away from me. _Thanks a lot_ ," Harry seethed.

He turned on his heel, still quite embarrassed and left the department to floo home. He was blocking the floo for the night and contemplating drinking a bottle of fire whiskey to hopefully get the embarrassment out of his head.

Ron sat down in his chair heavily and shook his head. He was positive that Draco had a thing for Harry. Positive.

As if hearing Ron's thoughts, Draco knocked tentatively on the door. Ron looked up and glared at him. Draco frowned and glared back. "Apparently, I've been wrong all along and I should have kept my mouth shut about you to Harry," Ron commented.

Draco stepped in and sighed, looking slightly ashamed. "You're not wrong. I just made the wrong move," Draco admitted.

Ron leaned back in his chair and looked over at Draco in surprise. "So you admit that you like him?" he asked quietly.

Draco blushed deeply and sighed again. "Yeah, well, it doesn't matter now as I bollixed it all up," he replied angrily.

"Oh, Harry's pissed all right, but I don't think it relates to you too much. He's embarrassed first and foremost, but he's also pissed at Hermione and me because we've been telling him for months that you like him," Ron explained.

Draco's eyes widened. "It has not been for months!" he exclaimed. Ron gave him a look that suggested otherwise. Draco crossed his arms and pouted. _Leave it to Weasley to be the one to figure this out, probably before I even did myself_. "Fine, whatever. What do I do?" he asked.

Ron crossed his arms as well and smirked. "Are _you_ asking _me_ for advice?" he questioned in mock disbelief.

Draco growled and turned to stomp away. "I'll figure it out myself!"

"Wait! Come on, I'm just teasing," Ron called out. Draco stopped and turned to look at him. Ron laughed quietly. "Well, he'll probably kill me for doing this, but…" Ron ripped a piece of parchment and scribbled something on it. He held it out and Draco took it. He looked at in confusion. "He's more than likely blocked the floo and he's probably breaking into his fire whiskey bottle, but you can still find it if you know the address. Good luck, mate. I suggest only going if you plan on returning that kiss," Ron suggested.

Draco stared at him in disbelief. "Wait, you're willingly giving me Harry Potter's address _and_ encouraging me to kiss him?"

Ron laughed. "I know, it's shocking, eh? Look, Harry's unhappy and has been for years. The only time I see any kind of emotion out of him is when he's in the field or after he's talked to or been around you. Whether Harry admits it to himself or not, he likes you. It's not really that big of a surprise. You two have always been attracted to each other. This time it's just in a more friendly way than before. I want my best friend to finally be happy and if that's with you, so be it. You're a lot different now, Malfoy, and I think you are worthy of Harry," he replied.

Draco stared at him. His mouth hung open in surprise. "I don't know what to say. If I hugged people, I would hug you right now…" he said trailing off at the end. They both grimaced at the thought of hugging and then laughed quietly.

"Make sure you want it. Don't go over there unless you do," Ron reminded him, ending the conversation.

All Draco could do was nod. He turned and left the office and headed down to the atrium. He was going to apparate to Harry's house. He didn't need to think about it one way or another. He had wanted to kiss Harry for months now.

 **XXXX**

Harry held a glass of fire whiskey in his right hand while his left arm was bent and against the mantle of his fireplace. He was staring into the flames. His embarrassment matched the flames perfectly.

 _Why did I try to kiss Draco? I mean, seriously, I didn't even know if he felt that way towards me. I completely went against everything I've ever done in regards to another person like that and instead listened to my friends. Gah!_

This was Harry's second glass of fire whiskey and he was feeling pretty buzzed by this point. He downed this glass and went back to his kitchen to get more. He poured it and was heading back to his fireplace when he heard a knock on his front door. He looked up in surprise, his head swimming pleasantly.

He walked out of the sitting room and went down the hallway to the front door. He opened the door and nearly dropped his glass. Draco was standing on his porch looking quite nervous.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?" Harry questioned.

Draco noted the glass in his hand and laughed to himself. "Aren't you going to ask me to come in?"

Harry stared at him for several moments. He stared so long that Draco started to shift his weight nervously. Finally, Harry pulled the door open wider and gave an exaggerated gesture for Draco to come in. Draco laughed and glanced behind him to see Harry shut the door and down his drink.

"Want a drink?" Harry said more loudly than necessary.

Draco smiled slightly. "Tea, if you have it," he said quietly.

Harry snorted. "Of course, I have tea! Do you think I'm not British or something?"

Draco laughed. "My apologies," he replied.

Harry snorted again and went about making tea. Draco watched him nervously. He jumped in surprise when Harry lit the stove and flames jumped out and nearly singed his hand. "Whoa, a bit close there," he commented absently.

Draco covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes for a moment. _Merlin, he's ridiculously adorable when he's been drinking_. He opened his eyes again and watched as Harry put the teapot on the stove. He got the tea tray ready with sugar and milk and set it on the table. He hummed to himself as he gathered up his different tea options and set those next to the tray. The tea pot started whistling so he turned and took it off the stove. He set it on the table. He contemplated serving them both, but thought better of it.

"Um, do you mind pouring?" he asked nervously.

Draco's eyes widened. "Sure," he replied as he set about preparing their tea.

Harry watched him, slightly swaying. Draco glanced up from time to time, but Harry wasn't looking at his face, he was looking at his hands. Draco finished up and handed Harry his tea. "Milk? Sugar?" Draco asked quietly. Harry just nodded and watched as Draco poured in some milk and dropped a sugar cube into his cup.

"So, I'm surprised to see you at my house," Harry commented after he took a generous sip of his tea. His head seemed to clear somewhat and he was able to think a bit more coherently now.

"Uh, yes, well, I wanted to return your cloak since you left it in my office and uh, you know, just…" he trailed off, looking away, quite flustered. He did reach into his pocket and pull out the invisibility cloak, resized it, and set it on the table.

"Why did you pull away?" Harry asked suddenly. Fire whiskey made him bolder, much bolder.

Draco coughed, his eyes widening as he looked over at him. "Excuse me?"

"Mione and Ron kept telling me that you had a thing for me and I kept telling them they were wrong, but then I started to believe them so I decided to try and kiss you and you pulled away. Why?" he asked again.

Draco withered. Harry sounded hurt and quite bothered. He hadn't realized that there was even a chance for anything to ever happen between them. He didn't think that Harry would remotely return his feelings. "Potter, I-"

Harry grabbed his tea and stood up unsteadily. "I don't want to hear your nonsensical reason behind it, Malfoy," he slurred slightly as he dramatically exited his kitchen.

In another time, Malfoy would be laughing, but right now he didn't want to laugh. Harry was obviously upset about their almost kiss that didn't happen. Draco growled and stood up. "Potter, you should at least give me a chance to explain. I deserve that much," Draco called as he walked into Harry's sitting room. Harry was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his head in his hands. That brought Draco up short.

"Fine, let's hear your lame arse excuse for pulling away," Harry said quietly.

Draco glared at him. "Fine, I'll tell you. You caught me off guard, okay? I've spent months crushing on you and you never once seemed remotely interested. All of a sudden, you're under your invisibility cloak with me and so wonderfully close and everything was within my grasp and _you_ were leaning towards _me_ for a kiss! I freaked out!" he exclaimed.

Harry looked up at him in surprise. "I'm a slow learner," he commented.

Draco's intense glare lessened somewhat. He cocked his head to the side in confusion. "I'm quite certain you're not a slow learner. It takes you a hell of a lot longer to notice some things, yes, but you're not a slow learner," Draco replied.

Harry waved Draco's comment away and leaned back on the couch. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Malfoy, it's fine. You don't want to kiss me, I get it. I just wish I hadn't tried to kiss you now. I expected too much," he said tiredly.

Draco strode over to him and stood in front of him, suddenly feeling quite bold. He shoved at Harry's good shoulder and watched as Harry's eyes flew open. "I just told you that I've had a crush on you for months and you don't think I want to kiss you?" he demanded.

Harry closed his eyes again and shrugged, wincing slightly as his arm tingled in pain. "You've yet to prove me wrong," he commented.

Draco stared at him for several moments. Harry's breathing had slowed and he hadn't opened his eyes again. "Potter," Draco said as he pushed on Harry's shoulder again. He didn't move. He sighed and smiled slightly. He summoned a blanket from the cupboard and settled it over Harry. He walked out of the sitting room and back into the kitchen. He cleaned up the tea and then turned and peeked into the sitting room again. Harry hadn't moved at all. Draco sighed and smiled again. It didn't go as he expected it would, but at least his feelings were out there, sort of. He walked over to the front door and opened it. He shut it behind him, making sure he cast a locking charm on it and he left. He hoped that he hadn't lost his chance with Harry.

 **XXXX**

Harry woke to sunlight blinding him. He groaned as he reached up and blocked the light with his hand. He groaned again as pain shot through his arm at the movement. He brought the blanket that was over him up to cover his head. He sighed as it blocked out the light, but then things started to come back to him.

He realized that he was sitting up and that sunlight should not be streaming into his bedroom as he kept his curtains drawn night and day for the very purpose to keep out light. Plus, his bedroom did not face a rising nor setting sun so it seemed strange that there was this much sunlight. He looked at the blanket, wondering if he somehow wasn't in his home. He recognized the blanket and sighed minutely before he slowly pulled it down and looked around. _Good, I'm at home_. He glanced around, wondering how he ended up where he was and with a blanket.

"Malfoy," Harry muttered as he shot up from the couch. He stumbled back as his head swam unpleasantly. _Oh, Merlin_. He sank back into the couch to calm his dizziness. _Malfoy was here, last night. I was buzzed and I said some things and he said some things and then I passed out._

Harry stood up again, more slowly this time. He sighed in relief as he didn't get dizzy again. He rushed upstairs and shed his clothes, showering quickly and then rushing back out, putting on his clothes, not really paying attention to what he was putting on. He stopped and looked at his outfit. He groaned and settled onto his bed. He threw himself back. He wasn't going to work today. He didn't have his head on straight and even though he was stuck at his desk, he wasn't going to be able to focus.

He sat up and took off his dress shirt and tossed it towards his wardrobe. He looked down at his sweatpants and shed those too. He had one dress sock on and one regular sock followed by one auror boot. He grabbed his wand and waved it, summoning his patronus. He sent it along its way to let Ron know that he wasn't coming in.

Once that was done, he climbed under his covers and threw them over his head. It didn't take him long to fall asleep.

 **XXXX**

Draco arrived at work at promptly eight o'clock as he always did, however today he was going to make a side trip to Harry's office to see how he was faring today and gauge whether or not he was feeling weird about last night.

He rapped on the door and heard a grunt in greeting. He stepped in and saw that Ron was alone in the office. He frowned. He knew that Harry came to work by eight every day, sometimes earlier. "No Potter this morning?" Draco asked nonchalantly as he walked in. He put his hands in his pockets to appear quite casual. Ron lifted his brow and looked at him with a questioning look.

"Good morning, Weasley. How are you today? Pleasant weather we're having this morning, no? Good morning, Malfoy. I'm doing alright this morning and yes we are having nice weather today," Ron joked. Draco scowled. Ron just laughed. "No, Harry is not here yet," Ron replied.

Draco frowned and pulled out his pocket watch. It was a quarter after eight. "He's running a bit late," he commented quietly, worrying his lip.

Ron crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. At that point, something bright and shiny strode into the office. It was Harry's stag. Ron gestured towards it and Draco turned and frowned at it.

"I'm an idiot, Ron. I'm not coming in today. I'll see you tomorrow," it said before it disappeared.

Ron lifted his brow and looked back at Draco who looked quite confused. "Care to tell me what he might be referring to?" Ron asked.

Draco looked away from where Harry's stag had been and gave his attention to Ron. He shrugged. "I'm actually not sure. He had probably three glasses of fire whiskey by the time I got there," Draco replied. Ron cringed. "He asked me why I pulled away and I told him that I freaked out and that I had a crush on him and had been crushing on him for months. He passed out at some point and I left," Draco replied, shrugging again.

"Hmmm. Well, I'll probably check in on him at lunch. He left his pain potions here anyway," Ron said as he gestured towards the box on his desk. Draco looked over at it, looking contemplative. "Unless, you want to take the potions to him," Ron suggested casually.

Draco jerked his head back over to him, cursing the higher powers for making Ron Weasley the one who figured out and constantly reminded him that he knew how he felt about Harry. "Well, I'm sure you have lots of work to do," Draco commented casually.

"Tons of work," Ron replied in the same tone, fighting the grin that was threatening to erupt on his face.

"And the lab will be fine for a bit. I mean, I can always stay late and finish up," Draco added.

"That is true. You're the only one in the lab and there aren't any pressing cases right now." Ron couldn't help it and his grin arrived on his face. Draco scowled at him.

"I'll take them to him," Draco committed, sounding defeated. Ron laughed. "Have I told you lately how much I loathe that you know what you know about me?"

"Not today, no," Ron responded cheekily.

Draco simply glared at him, walked over to the potions case, and stormed from Ron and Harry's office, robe billowing behind him. Ron continued laughing and shook his head. He returned to his work, still laughing.

Draco made his way down to the atrium and apparated out of the ministry to Harry's doorstep. He knocked and waited. There was no answer. He knew that Harry must be home. He frowned and wondered if he was sleeping. He contemplated just undoing the locking charm that he had cast the night before and walking inside, but he was unsure as to how he'd be received. He sighed and knocked again, louder this time.

About two minutes later, at the point where Draco was going to leave and go back to the Ministry and see if Ron would just floo him over, the door flew open and Draco turned and his mouth dropped open and went dry.

Harry stood on the other side, scowling, but looking tired at the same time. That wasn't what made his mouth go dry. He was standing there with no shirt on, hair messier than usual from sleep, and had sweatpants thrown on that were only pulled up to the top part of his pelvic area. His dark trail of hair that led down was winking at Draco, he was sure of it.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Harry asked, breaking Draco out of his revere.

Draco looked up suddenly and noted that Harry's scowl had turned to a look of curiosity. Draco met his eyes and realized that out of everything that was on display in front of him, the emerald eyes that looked back at him, completely bare of his glasses were shining much more brightly than he had ever seen them. He felt like his stomach was roiling with butterflies fluttering about in a crazy pattern.

"Um, I…. don't remember…." he paused, unable to think coherently. Why had he come by? Was it to marvel at Harry some more? Was it to contemplate what it would be like to see him looking the way he did in this moment every morning?

Harry smirked and glanced down at his hands. "Was it to bring me my potions?" he asked.

Draco blinked slowly and then looked down. Oh, right, that's why he came by. "Yes, exactly," he croaked out. He cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks burning. He went to hand the package to Harry, but stopped.

"Do you want to come in?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Oh, um, yeah, sure, of course," Draco stuttered as he started towards the door when Harry pulled it open wider and gestured for Draco to come in.

Draco started in and he heard the door close behind him as he contemplated where to go. He thought a drink of water would be good so he turned towards the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and set the potions on the table. He glanced around, wondering if he should just grab a glass and get some water or….

"Would you care for something to drink?" Harry asked as he came in behind him. Draco jumped even though he knew that he was there. Harry smiled slightly and stifled a laugh.

"Water is fine," Draco replied.

Harry nodded and walked over to the cabinet and got a glass. He went to the ice box and opened it, taking out a pitcher. He poured some into the cup and handed it to Draco. Draco was careful not to touch Harry at all as he took the glass. Harry frowned slightly at the obvious avoidance.

Harry put the pitcher back and went about preparing tea. Draco gulped at his water, feeling his mouth go back to not being dry. He sighed and set the glass down. His butterflies seemed to have calmed as well.

Once Harry was done with making tea, he turned and sat down across from Draco. He sipped at his tea for a moment, the silence stretching between them. He pulled the box of potions towards him and reached for the one he needed. He went to unstop the cork, but Draco reached out, nearly touching his arm. He glanced up at him and gave him a questioning look.

"Have you eaten today?" Draco asked.

"No. I woke up this morning on my couch, tried to get ready for the day and thought better of it, and went back to sleep upstairs. Why?" Harry replied.

"If you take that potion on an empty stomach, you are going to feel quite sick. You should eat something," Draco explained.

Harry sighed, feeling like he had no energy to make himself some food, but Draco knew potions so he trusted what he was saying. He started to get up, but Draco beat him to it.

"Let me make you something," Draco offered. He stood and opened the ice box. He pulled out a couple of eggs and set them on the counter. He closed that and opened the breadbox and pulled out some bread. He went about toasting the bread and scrambling the eggs. As those cooked, he took out butter and jam from the ice box and set them on the table. Harry watched him with rapt attention. He was both surprised and appreciative of what Draco was doing. There was also another feeling that was even more surprising than the fact that Draco was making food without a house elf; it was the feeling that Harry felt at being taken care of.

Draco glanced at Harry and could see exactly how he was feeling based on the look that was on his face. Harry had always been easy to read. He felt his face warm at what he saw. He turned back to the food, and placed it all on a plate and set it in front of Harry. He summoned a fork and a butter knife and gave those to him as well. Then he sat back in his seat and looked over at Harry expectantly. Harry was staring at him.

"That food isn't going to eat itself," Draco reminded him.

Harry blushed and reached for his fork. "Thank you. It was very kind of you," he replied.

Draco shrugged. "I'd rather not see you sick is all," he replied, trying to make up for his softness.

Harry smirked. "Of course," he answered.

Harry ate his breakfast in silence. Draco went between watching him eat and staring at the glass of water in front of him. He was thinking about how he'd like this every morning. Harry finished and set his fork down. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, wincing when his shoulder started to hurt. Draco gave him a knowing look so Harry reached for his potion and drank it.

"So about last night," Harry began, breaching the silence.

Draco blushed slightly. "Yeah, about last night," he repeated.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry that I was inebriated. I don't usually have an audience for that. I'm equally sorry for pushing you about certain things. You have your reasons, I accept them."

Draco frowned. "I don't care that you were inebriated as you are kind of adorable like that," he paused at that confession. Harry lifted his eyebrow. Draco ignored it. He needed to get it out there while Harry was sober. He kept it to himself for far too long. "Don't be sorry about pushing me because I have wanted to tell you for awhile. Granted, I didn't think you reciprocated so…." he stopped. He still wasn't sure if Harry felt the same or if he was just testing to see if he might.

"Well, I tried to kiss you so what might that tell you?" Harry asked.

Draco frowned. "That your friends broke down your defenses enough to question whether you might or not?"

"Right, of course. I suppose that's possible," Harry replied uncertainly.

He thought about it and all the times that he had interacted with Draco since he had started out in the Ministry. At first, he had been very suspicious of his intentions, but then he realized that he was there because he was the best at his job. That didn't stop them from arguing and getting under each other's skin, but at some point things had changed. Draco started to make equipment for them and it was always coincidental to when Harry received an injury. He would always create something that would protect Harry from the injury he had received in the future. He had started to act differently towards Harry and not engage in arguments the same way. He started to look at him with worry and concern when he was injured instead of annoyance. The signs were there and he simply didn't notice or his mind couldn't comprehend those kinds of feelings from Draco.

Draco could see that Harry was thinking about something rather important. His thoughts were flashing across his face. "What are you thinking about?" Draco asked quietly.

Harry looked up at him, biting his lip. Draco wanted to be the one to bite that lip. He felt his stomach tense at the idea. He had thought it many times, just not in the company of Harry. "I'm thinking that I have got to be the most oblivious person in the world," he replied.

Draco lifted a brow. "How so?" he asked uncertainly.

"All the signs were there. Things changed and I didn't even realize it. I didn't want to notice it because I figured you hated me and you always would. Why even contemplate anything different?" Harry replied, mostly thinking aloud.

"Because I don't hate you, not anymore, or I may have never hated you, I don't know. All I know is that now, over the past several months, whatever feelings I had in regards to you changed," Draco answered quietly.

"But how? Why?" Harry questioned.

Draco snorted. "I've been asking myself that ever since the first time I noticed it."

"When was the first time?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco knew exactly when he noticed that he had different feelings towards Harry. It was one of the times that he got more severely injured than usual. "Do you remember that raid you went on about a year ago? The one that was in one of MacNair's estates?" Harry nodded after a moment, remembering that day fairly well. That was his first major injury. "Well, I was working in my lab on a different case, one with cursed objects. They gave me one to look at and I was trying to figure out how to break the curses on it and then discover what was inside. I remember sitting there and hearing a commotion out in the department. I ignored it at first, but then it wasn't calming down so I went out there to see what was going on. I caught one auror, I can't remember who now, and asked what had happened. He told me that the raid had gone badly and there had been some casualties. I was concerned for my coworkers and I wondered if you had been on that raid and then I heard someone mention your name as one of the casualties. It was then that I first felt something. I was extremely worried about you so I went to the hospital and when I found out how injured you were, the worry tripled. I went right to my lab and started creating something, anything that would protect you should it happen again. It was at that point that I realized that at some point, your charm had broken through my walls and once that happened, there was no turning back," he explained.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Harry asked in confusion.

Draco laughed sardonically. "That wouldn't have been a good idea for a lot of reasons," he replied.

"Why?" Harry demanded.

Draco sighed. "One, your Harry Potter and I'm Draco Malfoy. Two, we didn't get along for years. Three, I wasn't about to pull a move on you when I didn't think for a second that you'd appreciate it. Four, your Harry Potter and I'm Draco Malfoy," he explained.

"So you, what, pined for me for months without even thinking about mentioning it?" Harry replied.

Draco shrugged. "What would you have me do? Tell you that I like you? Have you be disgusted and appalled and hate me even more? Make things uncomfortable at work?" he demanded.

"I wouldn't have been disgusted and I wouldn't have been appalled and I wouldn't have hated you more because I can't hate something more if I don't hate it in the first place," Harry countered. He shook his head and stood up, walking out of the kitchen.

Draco jumped up and immediately followed. He wasn't getting away from him again. He followed Harry into the sitting room again. "Look, at least I'm telling you now. I'm sorry that I leaned back yesterday. It doesn't represent how I feel. I've wanted to kiss you for months. You caught me off guard. I never expected…." Draco stopped because Harry had turned and was looking at him in such a way that Draco gulped.

Harry walked towards him. He stopped in front of him, only a few inches away from him. "If I were to kiss you now, would you lean back again? I don't think I could take another-" Harry didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Draco moved in quickly, pulling Harry by his good arm towards him. He looped one arm around his waist and brought the other up to cradle his face before he leaned forward and captured Harry's lips in a deep kiss. He brushed his tongue across Harry's bottom lip, asking for entrance.

Harry responded immediately, his heart pounding. All the times that Draco had looked at him in a certain way and all the times that Hermione and Ron and insisted that Draco had feelings for him flooded his mind. All the muggles that he realized now looked quite similar to Draco flooded his mind and he realized what he had been searching for in all his test subjects. Draco.

They broke apart at one point, breathing heavily. Harry stepped back, giving them both some much needed space. "What are you thinking right now?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm thinking that it all makes sense to me now. I'm sorry it took me so long," he replied.

Draco laughed. He stepped forward again, giddy with happiness that it was all out there and that it seemed that Harry returned his feelings. He pulled Harry into a hug and buried his face in his neck. He kissed his neck and along his jaw. Harry sighed as Draco brushed his fingers across his bare back.

"Does this mean I have to wear my gear all the time?" Harry asked after awhile.

"That depends. Are you saying that you return my feelings?" Draco asked.

Harry blushed, knowing that the answer was very simple. So simple that he should have figured it out a long time ago. "Yes," he whispered.

"Then, yes, you have to wear your gear," Draco replied. He leaned back and looked down at Harry. He was frowning. Draco sighed. "Please just wear it until I remake them with new material. Please, Harry," he asked. All of Harry's injuries flashed through his mind. It was bad enough when he just harbored feelings for him, but now that it was out there and they were together, it would be even worse.

Harry nodded. "Alright, but I expect you to come up with something sooner rather than later," he teased.

Draco grinned and nodded in agreement. Harry smiled back and leaned up, kissing him again. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, pulling him closer to him. Harry placed his hands at Draco's hips, digging his fingers into his sides. He couldn't believe he wasted so many months where he could have been kissing Draco.

They broke apart again. "Ron and Hermione are never going to let me live this down," Harry commented with a laugh.

"Weasley hasn't let me forget since he figured out how I felt about you," Draco replied.

Harry looked up at him and grinned. It was worth the ridicule that he'd get. So worth it.


	3. Past: Part 3

**A/N: Here is the before. Roughly about two years before Part 1 and 2 happened. There's a bit of cursing in this part. Enjoy!**

 _Roughly two years before the present_

Harry and Ron, newly appointed aurors, sat in their office, kicking back, looking absolutely tickled pink being there.

"Can you believe it? We're actually aurors," Ron beamed.

"With our own office!" Harry exclaimed.

They grinned at each other and then went about moving things around their desks to look very important. They were finally aurors.

 **XXXX**

 _Six months later_

"You know that lab that was put in for the auror department, the one that focuses solely on our department and any cases that we're handed that don't need to be handled by other departments?" Ron asked.

Harry looked up from the report he was working on. "Yeah, what about it?" he asked absently, frowning slightly as he looked back down at the report.

"I heard a rumor as to who was going to be the lab tech," Ron continued. Harry hummed in response and Ron frowned. "Draco Malfoy," he finished. He leaned back in his seat, watching his friend and partner process this new information.

Harry froze, dropping his quill from his grip. He slowly looked up. "Who?" he asked, sure that he misunderstood or didn't hear him correctly.

"Draco. Malfoy." Ron repeated, saying his name as if it were two sentences.

Harry sat back and crossed his arms. "What is he up to?"

Ron shrugged. "I hear that he's very good at what he does and that he'll be an asset," he replied, choking slightly.

Harry chuckled, but frowned. "Quite convenient, wouldn't you say?"

"What?" Ron asked in confusion.

"That he works at the Ministry. Following in his father's footsteps. Placing himself in the Ministry, the auror department even," Harry muttered.

Ron shook his head. "Mate, I don't like it much more than you, but let's not be suspicious of him. Maybe give him a chance?"

Harry shook his head and stood up. "I'm going down there," he stated.

Ron went to say something, to stop him, but he was already out the door. He sighed and went back to work. Harry set down the hall determined to find out just what Draco Malfoy was playing at. _What is his ulterior motive for being here?_

He arrived at the lab and debated about knocking. He chose not to, not allowing Draco the chance to stop doing something that he shouldn't be doing. Harry walked right in and stopped just inside the lab. He looked around in surprise, marveling at how awesome the room looked. He started walking around, completely forgetting his purpose for being there. It looked like he had already started working on things for the department, a lot of great things.

"That didn't take you long," someone said to Harry's right.

He turned and looked over and saw Draco Malfoy standing there looking at him. He looked mostly the same, but something was different. Harry couldn't quite place it. "Malfoy," he replied.

"What can I do for you, Potter?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Harry glanced around, seeing nothing nefarious. Granted, that didn't mean that he wasn't doing something bad. "Um, just wanted to say welcome and uh, I hope you like it here," he replied.

Draco lifted his brow. "You suck at lying, Potter," he joked.

Harry glared at him and puffed his chest out slightly. "Welcome to the department, Malfoy," he stated and turned on his heel before he said something stupid.

 **XXXX**

 _Two months later_

"Merlin, this fucking hurts!" Harry cried as he cradled his hand to his chest. He had just taken a spell to his hand that nearly severed a finger or two. Luckily, the healers at St. Mungo's were able to fix it, but it hurt badly. Harry couldn't remember a time when he had hurt this bad. Hermione stood nearby, a healer in training, watching them work on her best friend. Ron was pacing in the lobby.

Back at the auror department, Draco was out in the main office, picking up some supplies that he needed. He heard someone mention Harry's name and he looked up, trying to listen to what they were saying. He knew he was out in the field.

"Harry's over at St. Mungo's getting stitched up. He nearly lost a couple of fingers to a hex," he heard one of the junior aurors say to someone else.

Draco's eyes widened and he went into his lab. He knew that the aurors wore gloves, but he knew they did nothing to protect them from spells. He grabbed a pair and set to work. Harry wasn't going to risk this injury again if he had anything to say about it.

The following day, Harry was back at work, filling out paperwork. He wasn't going to be able to be in the field for a couple of days. He hated that. Ron was on another mission and Harry was bored of paperwork so he started wandering around the department. He made his way to Draco's lab and walked in. Draco was hunched over a table putting the finishing touches on something.

"How's your hand?" he asked without looking up from his task.

 _How does he always know it's me_? "I've still got all my fingers so that's good, right?" he commented nonchalantly.

Draco glanced over at him and nodded. "Yes, that would be well considering you need them to grip your wand," he replied.

"What are you working on?" he asked.

Draco sighed and stood up straight. He stretched his neck and then lifted the gloves. He handed them to Harry. "Put them on," he requested.

Harry sighed and did as he was asked. He looked down in surprise at how comfortable they felt, better than the ones they had now. He turned them over and examined the fingers and noticed that they had grippers. He released his wand and flicked it around a bit, feeling how secure it was. "Wow, Malfoy, these are pretty great," he complimented.

Draco smiled slightly. "That's not all there is to them," he pointed out.

"What else is there?" Harry asked.

Draco released his wand. Harry looked at him a bit nervously. "Let me show you something," he said.

"Um, what?" he asked uncertainly.

Draco laughed slightly. "Trust me, Potter, I'm not going to hurt you," he said sincerely.

Harry sighed. He had been doing very well there and as more time passed, Harry figured that Draco was there because he was good at what he does. He nodded his permission. Draco nodded in agreement and then flicked his wrist, muttering a cutting spell. Harry's eyes widened as he heard the hex that had just been cast at him the day before. He closed his eyes, felt the spell hit his hand, and braced for the pain. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes and looked at his hand and then back at Draco in surprise.

"What happened?" he asked in confusion.

Draco looked pleased with himself and he put his wand away. "I've just created gloves for you and the other aurors to prevent something like what happened yesterday from happening again," he replied simply.

Harry's eyes widened and he looked down at them again. "Brilliant," he complimented again. "Thank you," Harry added, looking up at him.

Draco blushed slightly and nodded. "Just doing my job, Potter. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to duplicate those for the rest of the aurors."

 **XXXX**

 _Three months later_

"Where's Potter?" Draco asked by way of greeting when he stepped into Ron and Harry's office.

Ron looked up at him in surprise. He heard something in Draco's tone that surprised him. He sounded worried. "He's getting checked out by the healers. He took a stunner to the chest and it left quite the mark," he replied.

Draco's eyes widened and he frowned, worrying his lip. Ron's brows lifted as the wheels started turning. Harry had been injured many times since Draco had started working in the department. He had already created new gloves, better protection on their boots, and guards on their shins. All of which were areas that Harry had been injured at since he started.

"What happened?" he asked.

Ron leaned forward. "We were just trying to arrest someone who had robbed a couple of stores in Diagon Alley. Harry chased him down the alley while I circled around to cut him off. When I got to the other side, the guy was stunned and wrapped in ropes while Harry was lying on the ground clutching at his chest. I rushed over and checked on him. He had just taken a stunner to the chest and had quite the welt. The healers said he'll be fine, just some pain meds are needed," Ron explained.

Draco sighed and nodded, some color coming back into his face. "Well, very well then. Thank you," he said and he turned on his heel and left Ron's office. Ron frowned in thought. Just then, Hermione walked in looking a bit harried.

"I've just been getting Harry settled in at home. He's doing well and the pain meds have kicked in so he'll probably be sleeping for the rest of the day. Did I just see Malfoy in here?" she asked.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to see about what happened to Harry," he commented thoughtfully.

Hermione's brows lifted and she grinned slightly. "Do you think he'll have a chest protector made by the time Harry is back?" she questioned.

Ron chuckled and nodded. "Yes. As a matter of fact, he's probably already down there designing one. He likes Harry, doesn't he?"

Hermione nodded. "I think he does. I bet Harry doesn't even have a clue," she commented.

Ron snorted. "Not at all," he replied.

 **XXXX**

 _One month later_

"Hey, Malfoy, how's it going?" Ron asked casually as he strolled into the lab.

Draco looked up immediately and zeroed in on his expression. "What happened now?" he demanded.

Ron looked slightly sheepish. "We got called in and didn't have time to get all our gear. Harry had his chest protector at home so he's over at St. Mungo's getting checked out. It wasn't so bad this time so he'll be back shortly, I'm sure," Ron replied.

Draco growled in annoyance and threw his project down on the table. "How hard is it?" he muttered angrily.

"Look, it wasn't on purpose. He usually wears it. We were just called in on our day off," he tried.

Draco shook his head and picked up his project again. Ron took that as his cue to leave so he did. He got back upstairs and saw Harry sitting at his desk, filling out paperwork. "Alright, mate?" he asked as he came in and sat down at his desk.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Of course. Where were you?" he asked.

Ron looked away sheepishly. Harry groaned. "I'm sorry. I tried to make it better," he apologized.

Harry rolled his eyes and stood. He knew that he'd have to face Draco at some point. He might as well do it now. Anytime he got hurt when he wasn't wearing his gear, Draco told him a thing or two about why he needed to wear it. He walked to the lab and walked in.

Draco was facing the door this time. He was scowling as he looked up at Harry. "How many times do I have to say it?" Draco asked.

Harry closed his eyes. "I know. Carry my gear at all times. I'm sorry," he replied.

"Why do I waste my fucking time making this stuff for you…. all? You don't fucking wear it! I don't make it just to give myself something to do. I do it so that you…are all kept safe. What's it going to take, Potter?" he demanded angrily.

Harry's mouth dropped open in surprise. He was used to Draco's rants by now as he heard them frequently, but this was a bit more than usual. More heated than usual. "Look, Malfoy, it was an honest mistake."

"Honest mistakes are going to get you killed," he responded heatedly.

Harry frowned. He watched as Draco stormed away and slammed the door of his office. Harry debated about going to talk to him, but he chose to just turn right around and go yell at Ron for once again ratting him out.

He stormed back upstairs and walked into the office. Ron looked up at him expectantly. "Thanks a lot, partner! Malfoy just yelled at me for no reason at all! Why does he work here again?" he demanded angrily.

Ron sighed. "He's the best in the business and we need him. Besides, it was not for no reason. You got hurt and wouldn't have had you been wearing the chest protector. I'm sorry he yelled at you, but I think the bloke worries about your safety. I think he likes you," Ron responded, not for the first time telling Harry what he thought about Draco's feelings for him.

Harry snorted and threw himself into his desk chair. "Yeah, right. The bloke hates me. He just does all this stuff so he can look good in the department head's eyes. You're nuts if you think he likes me," he snorted again and shook his head.

Ron frowned. Harry could be so dense sometimes.

 **XXXX**

Draco sat in his lab, working on a case that was brought in a week ago. The evidence he was looking at stumped him. He couldn't quite get a grasp on what it was all about, but he could feel a breakthrough coming. He looked up in surprise when he heard a commotion on the other side of the door. He unsheathed his wand and opened the door, looking out. People were moving about at a quick pace. Everyone. Draco felt his stomach turn in nervousness. He walked out and heard words that he didn't want to hear. "Casualties." "Multiple injuries." "Harry Potter."

He reached out and grabbed the person that had said Harry's name. "What about Harry?" he asked.

"The raid he was on went badly. He's at St. Mungo's. They aren't sure if he's going to make it," the person said, their eyes wide with worry for a fellow auror.

Draco felt his stomach drop to his feet and knew his face had gone pale. He knew that he had to get to St. Mungo's. He needed to know if Harry was safe. He rushed out of the department and flooed directly to St. Mungo's. He tumbled out of the floo and made it to the emergency department. Hermione was standing in the lobby, directing mediwizards and witches to different areas. She looked in the zone, but her eyes betrayed her. Draco made it over to her quickly.

"Where is he?" he demanded by way of greeting.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise and then her look softened. "He's being worked on right now. Go wait in the waiting area. Ron's in there," she said softly.

Draco wanted to shake her for being so calm. How could she be? Draco felt like he was going to crawl out of his own skin. He made his way blindly to the waiting room and settled in next to Ron who was leaning forward, head in his hands. He turned slightly and looked up at Draco who was staring at the emergency room doors with a panicked look.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.

Draco turned to look at him and Ron looked back at him, smiling slightly at the look that was on Draco's face. It solidified what he already knew. Draco fancied Harry, a lot. Draco scowled at him and despite the circumstances, Ron grinned, but said nothing. "What happened?" Draco asked, his voice cracking.

Ron ignored the crack. He ran his hand through his hair, his brief moment of reprieve from his worry disappearing. "The raid went bad. MacNair had a booby trap set and nearly all of us got caught up in it. Harry picked up on it at the last moment, shoving people out of the way before he took the brunt of it. It's why he's in there," Ron replied, gesturing to the emergency room doors.

"Where the hell were you?" Draco demanded angrily.

Ron sighed. "I was at the back of the group, bringing up the rear. We've done this a thousand times. This is the first time something like this happened," Ron insisted.

"It's fucking MacNair! I could have told you that you'd all be in a world of hurt!" Draco exclaimed.

Ron sighed. "I know. Look, he was wearing his gear so I'm sure that those parts of him will be fine. Harry will be fine. I'm sure of it," Ron replied.

Draco leaned forward and buried his face in his hands. All the things that he had noticed over the months that he had been working in the auror department in regards to Harry came flooding into his mind. All the times that he made something new because Harry was hurt. All the times that he and Harry exchanged banter. Every nuance that belonged to Harry Potter. He was sitting behind those doors, fighting for his life and he had the power to keep him safe. He had the skills to do it and he didn't. If anything happened to him…. He shook his head, unwilling to go down that path.

Hours passed and then finally, a healer came out looking exhausted. "He's resting now. You can come back if you'd like," the healer said, mostly to Ron.

Ron nodded and stood up. He looked down at Draco who was looking up at the healer, trying to get an idea of how Harry was. "Come on, Malfoy. It'll drive you crazy if you don't go and see him," Ron suggested.

Draco wanted to argue and say that he was being ridiculous, but he knew that was a lie. He stood and followed them into the emergency room. They went down a few hallways and finally arrived at a private room. They stepped in and walked forward. Hermione was already sitting next to Harry, holding his hand. Ron went and stood next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Draco froze as he looked down at the greatest wizard he knew. The man who had been the bane of his existence for years. He stared at him, feeling something shift inside him and settle.

"Every place that he had your protection on is perfectly fine. No damage. Everywhere else, he's injured. He'll pull through though. It could be a lot worse," Hermione said as she looked over at Draco.

Draco nodded and stepped a bit closer. Harry looked so pale. He had to do something. He left after a half an hour, itching to get to work. He would visit Harry every day, while he slept, until he was released. He didn't want Harry to know that his feelings for him had shifted. He didn't want anyone to know. It would do him no good as Harry Potter hated him.


	4. Future: Part 4

**A/N: Here is the last part. Lots of fluff and a bit of injury. I love how Ron and Draco interact through this whole story. I am pleased with how it turned out. I hope you've all enjoyed it :).**

 _Six months after getting together_

Harry sat in Draco's desk chair as he watched him work. Draco was blushing deeply as Harry and he had just been in Draco's office, reacquainting themselves with one another after Harry had been on a mission for five days. Harry looked rather pleased with himself.

"You don't have to look so smug," Draco teased as he looked up at Harry who was staring back at him with bright green eyes.

Harry smirked back. "I'm not smug, just pleased," he replied with a wink.

Draco blushed deeply and grinned. He straightened his expression. He was at work and he needed to be serious. Yes, he worked with his boyfriend, sort of, and they often got side tracked with one another in Draco's lab, on occasion in the office, just to drive Ron crazy, but he needed to be serious. They could spend quality time together later.

"Don't you have some paperwork to do?" Draco asked.

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose I do," he replied. He stood up and walked over to Draco who had straightened up and was looking at him expectantly. Harry reached out and looped an arm around his waist and pulled him against him. He kissed Draco deeply and elicited a quiet moan from him, nearly melting in his hold. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?" Harry asked as he broke away.

"I always have dinner with you," he replied with a chuckle.

"I meant out at a restaurant," Harry elaborated.

Draco's eyes widened. They'd been to the pub a few times, but that appeared to be just two friends eating dinner and drinking. An actual dinner date at a restaurant was something entirely different. "Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief.

Harry nodded and kissed him lightly. "Yes. If it will make you feel better, we can go to a Muggle restaurant instead of a Wizarding one," he offered.

Draco took a deep breath and nodded. "No, that's fine. I'll have to go home and change into something more proper though," he contemplated as if he was envisioning his closet and looking for the right outfit.

Harry grinned and kissed his cheek. "Seven o'clock, love," he stated as he left Draco in his lab. Draco blushed at the endearment, never tiring of that. It had been about three months after they got together that 'I love yous' were said. Draco had been in love with Harry for at least a year prior, but it didn't take Harry long to feel the same way once they got together.

Harry walked back into the office that he shared with Ron, grinning. Ron looked up at him and gave him a knowing look. "I see that you and Draco had a nice reunion," he teased.

Harry laughed and settled in at his desk. "Yeah, we did," he said in a dreamy tone. Ron made a gagging noise. Harry threw a quill at him. "We're going to dinner tonight," Harry commented.

"You guys eat at the pub plenty. That's no surprise," Ron commented as he looked over at him in confusion.

Harry shook his head. "We're going to an actual restaurant tonight and I'm going to ask him," Harry responded quietly.

Ron sat up straighter. "Ask him what?" he asked nervously.

"To marry me," Harry said barely above a whisper, overwhelmed by what he was planning.

Ron's eyes widened. "Seriously, mate?" he asked as if he hadn't heard him even though he most definitely had heard him.

Harry nodded. "Do you think it's too soon?"

Ron frowned. "I don't know, mate. I'm not a good judge of that. I wanted to marry Hermione the day after we officially got together. She turned me down, a lot, before finally saying yes a year after we started dating," he replied.

"Yeah, but you two were into each other way sooner than you got together. You were both too stubborn to see it," Harry countered.

Ron laughed. "And you and Malfoy spent a long time on opposite sides of things and didn't really see eye to eye on feelings for each other until just six months ago."

Harry sighed. "It feels right though," he insisted.

"You can ask him and if he says no, just know that it's probably like Hermione. She wanted to marry me, just not right then. He's been in love with you for a long time, well before he even realized it. I don't think he'll say no. Besides, I have never seen you as happy as you've been these past six months especially and even Draco. He's much less prickly now," he teased.

Harry grinned and nodded. "Then tonight's the night," he said confidently.

Ron grinned back and nodded in agreement. They worked the rest of the afternoon in silence, finishing up paperwork. Once five o'clock hit, they were heading out. Ron walked with Harry down to the floos. He was frowning.

"Hey, mate, listen, can you make sure you have your gear with you?" he asked when they arrived.

Harry gave him a questioning look. "I usually do, now, but why?"

Ron shrugged. "Just a feeling, I guess. Let me know how it goes tonight. Good luck!" Ron called as he flooed home.

Harry frowned as he watched the flames disappear. He shook his head and went into his own floo and went home. He made some tea and sat at his table, looking out the window. It was fall and the leaves were changing colors and falling slightly. He smiled as he watched the wind blow through the trees. He looked down at the ring box sitting on his table. He snapped it open and pulled it out. It was a very simple black band. He knew that Draco would want to pick out his own band when they got married, but he thought this was pretty good for the time being.

He glanced at his timepiece, noting that it was six. He stood and put his teacup on the counter after rinsing it out. He went into his room and went about getting ready, wearing his best dress robes.

At 6:45, he apparated to Draco's flat. He took a deep breath, made sure he had his one red rose ready, and knocked on the door. It opened a few seconds later and Harry found himself speechless. Draco stood there in robes that were dark gray, making his silver eyes stand out more. He looked breathtaking. He grinned at Harry, pleased that he was able to make him unable to form any words. Harry looked amazing himself and Draco could see that he obviously put in a lot of effort for the night.

"Is that for me?" he asked, nodding towards the rose that Harry was holding.

Harry blinked a few times and then looked down at the rose. "Yes, right, of course. Yes, this is for you," he stated as he handed it to him.

"You look good, Potter," he complimented as he took the rose, blushing at the romantic gesture.

Harry smiled. "I'd like to be able to tell you in words how fantastic you look, but I'm finding myself without the right words," he replied.

Draco stepped forward and kissed him tenderly. "I think I understand and thank you," he whispered against his lips. Harry kissed him again and then took his hand into his own.

"Shall we?" he asked. Draco nodded and clasped Harry's arm with his free hand and side-alonged with him to the restaurant.

They arrived in an alley and looked each other over. They took a deep breath and started out, hand in hand. Mostly everyone in the auror department knew they were together, but it had yet been put out there to the general public.

Before walking out of the alley, they lifted their chins and put on 'don't mess with me' looks and walked towards the restaurant, hand in hand. It didn't take long before a camera flashed. Harry blinked, but didn't look at the person who take their picture, neither did Draco who was gripping Harry's hand tightly, his apprehension obvious. Harry looked over at him and smiled in assurance. Draco smiled back; another flash went off behind them. They ignored it and went into the restaurant.

"Mister Potter, welcome," the hostess greeted. She had menus ready and was gesturing towards the restaurant. She walked towards the back and into a more private section of the establishment. Harry smiled gratefully at her. She set their menus down and Harry went around to pull the seat out for Draco. Draco gave him a surprised look, but took his seat. The hostess blushed. "Have a wonderful evening, sirs," she stated before she walked away.

Harry grinned over at Draco who was looking at him quizzically. "What are you up to?" Draco asked.

"It's our first night in an actual restaurant. A real date, outside of a pub. I want it to be special," he replied simply.

Draco didn't look like he believed him for a second, but he chose to just enjoy it. Maybe he was just pulling out all the stops to make it a special night. "Well, I appreciate that. This place is really nice. I'm surprised you knew about it," Draco teased, winking at him.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "I could lie and say I found it all on my own, but you know me better than that and would know I was fibbing so I asked around about a great restaurant and this was the one that got the most positive reviews," he explained.

Draco smiled and him, pleased that he knew exactly what Harry did to find this place. The past six months had been the best of his life. Being with Harry had been so much more than he expected. He was constantly surprising him. He was constantly making his world better and worth being in. Every day was something new and great. He finally understood what bliss felt like. "I love you, Harry," he stated, feeling a sudden gush of love for him.

Harry looked over at him with a surprised look. Draco rarely expressed his love for him verbally. When he did, it was meant to be cherished. Uttering those three words in public and outside of their comfort zone, made it even better. "I love you, too," he replied quietly. He reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Draco blushed and went back to perusing the menu.

Sometime later, their meal had been delivered and the wine poured. Harry and Draco were enjoying each other's company and enjoying a relatively private dinner. "Did your last case go as you expected it would?" Draco asked after a while.

Harry shook his head. "We tailed the guy for five days and then he gave us the slip somehow. I have no idea how he got away from us, but I think that he was tipped off by someone. We're going to regroup and probably head out again, maybe a different team and see if we can get him," Harry replied.

Draco nodded. "What was he being investigated for?" he asked.

"Potion smuggling. Nothing too serious, but the potions could potentially get in the hands of some people who could do awful things with them," Harry answered.

"Oh, yeah they delivered some of those potions to my lab earlier this week. There is definitely some components in there that are troublesome, but they aren't mixed correctly so the risk is lower should someone come into contact with them," Draco explained.

Harry smiled over at him and Draco gave him a questioning look. "I love how you explain things so matter-of-factly," he commented.

Draco shrugged. "What do the muggles call them, scientists?" Harry nodded. "I'm a scientist and we deal with facts. I can't look at any part of my work from an emotional level. It has to be just facts," he replied.

Harry frowned slightly. "Except when it comes to me," he pointed out quietly.

Draco looked up at him and gave him a fond look. "Except when it comes to you," he whispered.

Harry glanced around and noted that the restaurant had thinned out some and there were only a few patrons left. Harry looked back at Draco and took a deep breath. He reached into his pocket and took out the ring box, setting it down. Draco looked down and his eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up into his hair. He felt his heart rate pick up and his stomach fluttering madly. He looked up at Harry, licking his lips nervously.

Harry looked back at him with a calm expression, even though his insides were in knots. "You probably already knew this, but I wanted to make tonight special for another reason," Harry began. Draco nodded slowly. Harry smiled slightly. "I know it took me a long time to realize what was right in front of me and that you knew well before I did. I've spent the past six months cherishing every moment spent with you and realizing that I could have the life I'd always wanted. I am looking forward to many more years of us, if you'll have me that is. Will you marry me?" he proposed as he slid from his chair and onto one knee, holding the ring box open to him.

Draco stared at him, blinking slowly. His heart was ready to burst. He hadn't expected this to come so soon and he was finding it hard to form the words to respond. Just as he was about to, Harry frowned and reached into his pocket. He cursed as he pulled out his coin that alerted him to the aurors being needed. It was lit bright red so it was definitely a drop everything and go alert. Harry sighed and looked down. He looked up at Draco apologetically. Draco just stared back, still unable to form the words. His anger was starting to overcome that as this amazing date and proposal was ruined by Harry being called in.

He stood and leaned forward, capturing Draco's lips in a kiss. "I'm sorry, love. I know I've caught you off guard and this is the worst timing possible," he whispered, kissing him more deeply again. "I'll let you know what's going on when I can," he assured him before he kissed him quickly once more and left him.

Draco scowled as he watched Harry leave. He looked back at the table and saw the ring sitting there. He reached over and pulled it towards him. Of course, Harry picked a simple ring, probably knowing that he'd want to pick out his own band. The ring was very nice though and he loved it. He snapped the box shut and wiped absently at his eyes. It would do no good to cry in the middle of the restaurant.

The waiter walked over. "Everything alright, sir?" he asked in concern.

Draco shook his head. "Could I have the check please?"

The waiter nodded and set it down. Draco glanced at their bill and put out the necessary galleons and stood. He walked out of the restaurant, his engagement ring a heavy weight in his pocket.

 **XXXX**

Draco debated about going home, but instead, he went to the auror department to see if he could find out what happened before he heard from Harry. Something was niggling in the back of his mind about him being called out, but he couldn't quite explain the feeling.

He walked in and was surprised to see the auror department in slight chaos. His stomach roiled in nervousness. He went directly to Harry's office, but found it empty. He turned and caught another auror's attention. "What's going on?" he asked.

The auror looked at him nervously and glanced around. Draco didn't like that one bit. "They got a lead on the case from earlier this week so they sent a team in. They called in back-up and now no one really knows what going on as they haven't heard from anyone that went in. They are getting another team together to send in," he explained. He gave Draco a concerning look, knowing that Harry was someone who had gone in as back-up. He rushed away. Draco stood there in shock. Every moment that he had experienced with Harry flashing through his mind.

He turned and walked quickly to his lab. He had a feeling that whatever happened involved the potions that were sitting in his lab being analyzed. He walked in, taking off his robes and looked over at the stations that were analyzing each of the potions. He looked at them grimly, seeing something worrisome. They had an ingredient combination in them that made them stick to any surface and very difficult to remove. Luckily for Draco, he knew the potion that would dissolve it so he set about making a huge batch. It wasn't one that took long to brew either which was a relief. He focused on his task, pushing everything from his mind. He couldn't worry about Harry or any of the other aurors. He had a job to do.

 **XXXX**

Three hours later, Draco sat down heavily in his chair. He had a large batch of potion ready and was quite pleased with himself. He stood and walked out into the auror department, finding it very much in more chaos than before. "Draco, there you are!" someone exclaimed as they ran over to him. It was the same auror from earlier.

"What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"Where have you been? We tried to find you in your lab, but we couldn't get through. Didn't you hear us banging on the door?" he questioned.

Draco frowned and shook his head. He didn't remember warding the door at all, let alone being in the zone so much that he didn't hear anyone trying to get into his lab. "No! I didn't hear you at all! I didn't ward my door. I never ward it when I'm here!" he exclaimed.

The auror frowned and looked around. "Harry's at St. Mungo's," he said, finally looking back at him.

Draco's stomach dropped to his feet. He already somehow knew, but hearing it aloud made it even worse. "Is he alright?" he asked quietly.

The auror stepped back slightly and shook his head. "No. I don't know exactly what happened, but he's not alright. We've been trying to find you. Ron's wife has been trying to get in touch with you." He gave him an apologetic look. Draco whipped around and went into his lab. He put the potion he had brewed into a large flask and shrunk it down. He slipped it into his pocket and rushed out of his lab. He locked the door and rushed down to the floos. He felt sick to his stomach and so angry for not knowing. If Harry was awake, he was probably cursing him for not being there. Some fiancé he was going to be if he wasn't by his lover's side.

He tumbled out of the floo at St. Mungo's and rushed into the emergency department. He ignored the mediwitch who was hollering after him. He skidded to a stop when he saw Hermione standing outside a room, wringing her hands together, eyes puffy from crying. He rushed over and looked into the window. He saw two beds. One with Ron and one with Harry. Hermione looked up at him and cried out before she threw her arms around him.

"Merlin, Draco, where the hell have you been?" she demanded angrily as fresh tears started running down her cheeks.

"I was in my lab the entire time. I don't know why they couldn't get through to me. I was working on a potion, but I've never been so out of tune with what was going on around me!" he exclaimed.

She was frowning and looking thoughtfully into the room. "Ron mentioned that they thought that someone was tipping the man off. They walked into a trap, Draco. They weren't even supposed to be there tonight. Merlin, Draco, what are we going to do?"

"What's wrong with them?" he asked in an even tone.

"They got doused in some sort of potion and the healers can't get it to come off. It's burning them. They don't know what to do," she replied.

Draco reached into his pocket and handed her the shrunken flask. "Here's the antidote," he said quietly. He stared at his lover who was crying out in pain on the bed, arching his back. Draco felt tears coming to his eyes as he watched him. Hermione took the flask and rushed into the room. Draco staggered back and sank into a chair that was across from the room. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. If only he had asked Draco sooner in the night to marry him.

Hours passed and Draco sat in the same exact way, face buried in his hands. Hermione had tried to talk to him, tell him that the potion was working, but Draco wouldn't hear it. He wasn't going to lift his head until he knew for sure that Harry was alright.

Finally, he sat up and reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring that Harry had gotten. Hermione had been dozing in the chair, startling awake at his movement. She turned to look. She smiled softly. "Ron told me he was going to propose to you tonight. Did you get a chance to respond?" she asked quietly.

Draco shook his head. "He gave a great proposal speech and then he got called in. I was speechless. I should have responded immediately, but I just couldn't find the words. They were there, but I couldn't speak them. Merlin, if I never get a chance to reply, I…." he trailed off, unwilling to voice what he would do.

Hermione was about to respond when a mediwitch came out smiling at them. "They're awake and ready to see you," she directed.

Hermione didn't have to be told twice. She leapt up from the chair and rushed into the room. She immediately went to Ron's side and talked across the room at Harry. She checked Ron and then went over to Harry to be sure he was alright.

"Where's Draco?" Harry asked quietly.

"I'm here," Draco said as he walked in. Harry turned to his voice. His glasses were gone so he couldn't see him very well. He smiled, wincing slightly.

"I wore my gear," he said as Draco stopped next to him. Harry looked quite pink from his skin being burned by the potion and then the subsequent antidote. He knew it was only temporary, but he hated that he was in this position.

"Fat lot a good that did," he muttered angrily.

"Actually, the healers said that it protected them from the worst of it. Potion soaked through, but not nearly as much as it could have on regular clothes," Hermione commented from the other side of the room.

"Well, it seems that I need to apply a liquid repellant to the gear now as well," he commented, already thinking about how he'd go about it.

Harry sighed and reached out to grip his hand. "Draco, there's only so much you can protect me from," Harry whispered.

Draco sighed and sat down on the side of his bed. He pulled his hand onto his lap and gripped it gently between his two hands. "I know, but if there is something I can do to help keep you safer, I'm going to do it. Are you alright? What happened?"

"We have a mole in the department. They tipped off the guy we were following earlier this week and then they set us up. The guys before us got it worse than we did. Luckily, your potion will fix them up, but they are going to have a longer recovery ahead of them than us. I feel so stupid for not figuring it out sooner," Ron explained, groaning in annoyance at the end.

Harry scoffed. "None of us figured it out, even the more seasoned aurors. Don't beat yourself up about it," Harry responded.

"Do they know who it is?" Draco asked.

"They have their suspicions," Harry replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco questioned.

Harry sighed. "We had to keep it tight-lipped. Only those who were directly involved in the case could know. We should have known this would have happened, but we didn't think it was that bad. Where were you?"

Draco was about to explain everything that apparently happened while he was behind closed doors, but then realization set in as to why no one could get through. He narrowed his gaze, feeling violated. Harry looked at him in confusion. "Whoever the mole is, locked me in my lab and silenced the door so that I couldn't hear them calling my name and trying to get in," Draco seethed.

Harry's eyebrows lifted. "Well, it seems that it backfired since it made you focus on the antidote," Harry replied, smiling slightly.

Draco's scowl lessened and he smiled. "That is true. I probably would have missed the key to this. It was strange because even though I had no idea what happened to you or what it involved, I felt that it related to those potions so I set about making an antidote. I hope they take care of this," he commented.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

Draco gave him a drawl look and chuckled. "I am now that I know you're alright. Merlin, Harry, I was more scared this time than I was when I realized I was in love with you the last time you were here," he whispered.

Harry smiled slightly, rubbing his thumb against the top of Draco's hand. "Why were you so scared?"

Draco frowned at him and gave him a 'are you seriously asking me that' look. Harry shrugged slightly. "Well, let's see, because the man I love more than anything in this world was in serious pain and in danger of dying. The man, who gave me a glimpse into the future that I've desired for so long, just mere hours before getting injured. It just made me realize how much you've impacted my life and how much my life doesn't make sense without you in it," he replied.

Harry grinned. "So does that mean you're saying yes to my earlier question?"

"Your earlier question?" Draco asked with a lifted brow, smirking slightly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Will you marry me, Draco?" he asked, repeating his proposal.

Draco grinned, blush creeping across his cheeks as he remembered that he had an audience. He didn't want to break the spell so he stayed focused on Harry. This time he had the words. "Yes. I will marry you," he whispered.

Harry grinned and accepted the ring that Draco put in the hand that he was holding. Harry lifted his head slightly and reached for Draco's left hand. He slid the ring on his finger. Draco grinned broadly and leaned forward to kiss him carefully. He broke away after a moment.

"When you're all better, we'll do a proper celebration," he waggled his eyebrows at him. Harry laughed and nodded. Ron may or may not have groaned.

It wasn't quite how Harry planned to have Draco accept his proposal, but it seemed fitting as this was where Draco fell in love with him. He smiled up at Draco who smiled back, looking relieved. Draco leaned down again and kissed him. Everything had fallen into place.

THE END


End file.
